Lose the 'bah humbug' attitude with a walk through the winter wonderlands of Europe's Christmas markets

Mulled wine, snowy landscapes and shopping for handcrafted gifts beneath the starry lights of a traditional European Christmas market are popular at this festive time of the year.

Photograph by: Johannes Simon
, Getty Images

An evening spent mingling with the pink-cheeked crowds at festive fairs across the pond could transform the most curmudgeonly Scrooge and the greenest of Grinches into stocking-stuffing, carol-crooning converts. Imagine rustic chalets overflowing with handicrafts that might have been fashioned by elves themselves; historic town squares illuminated by twinkling strands of lights; and local delicacies, from bratwurst to pastries, washed down with mugs of spiced mulled wine. Here's a look at some of the best cities to stoke your Christmas spirit.

Berlin, Germany

It's not just the warm Glühwein that will leave you feeling giddy in Berlin. It's the sheer abundance and variety of this city's Christmas markets, nearly 60 in all.

One of Berlin's most beautiful bazaars is staged at the Gendarmenmarkt, where two cathedrals overlook a "village" of white tents filled with handcarved furnishings and accessories, blown-glass ornaments and one-of-a-kind ceramics.

At the Berliner Weihnachtszeit around Marienkirche and the Red Town Hall, puppeteers, storytellers, a petting zoo, and fairground rides keep the wee ones entertained.

For more high-octane excitement, take a ride on Europe's largest mobile toboggan run, located in Potsdamer Platz. Then bundle up for a spin around the free ice rink or try your hand at curling, which is a bit like bowling on ice, with a hockey stick.

(The sport was originally invented by the Scots, so there's a fair chance whisky was involved.) For a "hippie" holiday, you've got a trio of choices: the Eco-Christmas Market on Sophienstrasse in Mitte, the Grune Liga market on Kollwitzplatz in Prenzlauer Berg, and the "handmade supermarket" in Markethalle Neun in Kreuzberg. Each offers an emphasis on fair trade, handmade and recycled wares, so you can check off your Christmas list with a clear conscience.

Where to stayThe Hotel Adlon Kempinski occupies a prime location at the Brandenburg Gate, where a giant Christmas tree is typically erected every year (www.kempinski.com, from 216 Euro/$311).

Strasbourg, France

Strasbourg is no newbie when it comes to heralding the holiday season in the streets. It lays claim to perhaps the oldest Christmas market in Europe, dating back to at least the 16th century. These days, Santa's helpers hawk their wares at more than 300 chalets in nearly a dozen squares, with one of the most picturesque in the shadow of the cathedral.

The "capitol of Christmas" doesn't just deck the halls. It illuminates the streets with a "latticework of light," including crystal chandeliers strung along the rue des Hallebardes. At Place Kléber, a 30-metre tall fir - the tallest decorated tree in Europe - presides over it all.

Enjoy the lights with a cruise along the river, indulge in Alsatian wine and local specialties like spiced biscuits, almond cakes and coconut macaroons, and shop for handmade toys, Advent wreaths and traditional pottery.

Feeling energetic? Strap on a pair of skates for a whirl on the ice rink, or take part in a treasure hunt or an organized tour of the markets. Other highlights include the nativity scenes at the cathedral and a special "guest country" market, which is devoted to Croatia this year.

Where to staySofitel Strasbourg Grande Ile is in the city centre, close to several markets, including Place Kléber and the cathedral. www.sofitel.com, from $273.

Prague, Czech Republic

With its baroque onion domes, Gothic church spires, and a multitude of towers that seem custom-made for fair maidens dangling long golden braids, Prague looks like a fairy tale kingdom at any time of year. So when a constellation of Christmas lights and garland-wrapped fir trees sprout in its squares, the scene is so surreal that you half expect to spy Santa's sled gliding over the red-tiled rooftops - particularly if you've indulged in a tipple or two of high-octane honey mead.

The main market is in Old Town Square. A giant illuminated tree and peaked-roof huts bursting with holiday tchotchkes occupy the cobblestones between the medieval Astronomical Clock, where crowds gather to watch a parade of clockwork Apostles appear every hour, and the multipronged spires of Tyn Church, which allegedly inspired Walt Disney's vision of Sleeping Beauty's castle.

At the street market on Havelska due south of Old Town Square, you'll find some of the best prices in the city on everything from nutcracker soldiers to faux-fur hats and witch dolls astride broomsticks.

These craggy-faced crones are so inexplicably popular around Prague's markets, you'd need an air-traffic controller to keep them from colliding with Saint Nick on his midnight ride.

Wenceslas Square is a good place to look for wood-carved toys, glassware, ceramics and ornaments, while the tiny Andel Market offers a smorgasbord of local delicacies at incredibly cheap prices.

A cupful of mulled wine or mead accompanied by a spicy sausage and a traditional Czech trdelink (a hollow pastry cooked on a wooden pole and coated in cinnamon sugar) will set you back less than $10.

Where to stayVienna International Hotels has six properties scattered around Prague, including the sleek, chic Andel's Hotel Prague and Angelo Hotel Prague, just around the corner from the Andel Market and metro station. www.vi-hotels.com, from 62 Euro/$90.

Set in the 350-acre Hyde Park, it's a neon-drenched Las Vegas-style version of holiday bazaars.

Sure, you'll still find a vast selection of jewelry, accessories, clothing and handicrafts in an array of 200 traditional chalets, and a Bavarian Village serving up the sausages.

But this extravaganza also features three roller-coasters, a 60-metre-high Star Flyer tower, which flings around brave (and possibly nauseous) punters 360 degrees in their bucket seats, a 60-metre high Observation Wheel that looks like a massive rotating snowflake, a circus with jugglers, clowns and acrobats, plus a ghost train and a Pirate's Adventure, complete with an animatronic pirate and a shark For more thrills and chills, in every sense, check out the 1600-square-metre ice rink and the Magical Ice Kingdom, filled with snow and ice sculptures, a giants' forest populated by ice trolls and an evil ogre, a dungeon, and (thank heavens) an Ice Bar to warm you up from the inside out.

Winter Wonderland is also a great place for "star" gazing. Tom Cruise, Uma Thurman, Prince Harry, and Kate Moss have all joined in Hyde Park's holiday spirit in years past.

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